Multi-Genre Author

It has been way too LONG since I’ve last written a blog post. The truth is, I’ve been wrapped up in finishing my next series that I’ve not had much time to read or post anything. However, I finally did finish a book I wanted to share with you all. It’s slightly different than I’ve read before: a Christian mystery thriller. Yes, those genres can certainly go together. Let me share with you the book’s information, and then let me tell you my thoughts…

Shackles: The Truth Will Set You Free

By: Dianne J. Wilson

Jason is not the kind of guy you would want to take home to mom. He’s foul tempered, a bit of a womanizer and has a conscience that has been collecting dust for years. All that is shaken up though, when he unearths a package of carefully preserved love letters and a portrait while diving off the coast of Africa. So many unanswered questions, the letters snag something inside of him. Intrigued despite himself, he begins to unravel the mystery caught up in pages. He finds himself tangled up in the life of a girl he’s never met… a girl who is in desperate trouble.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ~ John 8:32

What I really enjoyed about this book was that it had multiple stories intertwining toward one unique plot. How everything came together was miraculously written. Very well done. The author also did a great job of weaving in Christian themes that I believe are true to the Bible. I liked the depth of characters and scenery, and it was overall enjoyable.

Throughout this book there were a few mistakes, but nothing that made it difficult to read or understand. That paired with not being a book I couldn’t put down (it was enjoyable, but not something I had to keep reading) made me rate this four stars. Yes, I would recommend it. For those liking novels taking place in foreign countries, this is it for you.

I finally found a book that has a name I absolutely love! When searching for my next thriller novel to read, I came across this one. Not only was the name awesome, but the storyline wasn’t bad! Before going into too many details, as in usual fashion, I’ll give you basic details of the book first. Here it is…

Ash – A Thriller (Asher Benson Book 1)

By: Jason Brant

9 AM EST: A senator shoots himself on national television.

10:32 AM EST: An entire floor of government agents leap to their death from their office building.

12:57 PM EST: All the police officers inside a station murder each other.

And the day has just begun.

Lieutenant Asher Benson left Iraq with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and a Purple Heart. His doctors warned that the symptoms would be life altering. They had no idea. As his body healed, the thoughts of those around him began to echo through Ash’s mind, stretching the boundaries of his sanity.

Five years later, Ash is drowning the voices with copious amounts of booze and self-loathing.

When unidentified intelligence agents abduct him in broad daylight, Ash is thrust into a world of espionage and assassinations. A unique terrorist is operating on U.S. soil, and the government needs Ash, and the malady that has plagued him for half a decade, to find the killer.

*Ash is the first book in the Asher Benson thriller series, which is full of snarky humor and nonstop action.

Non-stop action is right! From scene one to the end, the main character, Asher Benson, is constantly on the move, for good and not so good reasons. And speaking of Asher Benson, those who know me know I love the name Asher. That is the name we gave our second son after all! It was truly neat to read a novel with an awesome name like that.

I have to say the humor was great. It’s not for everyone, though! But I found it comparable to Adam Sandler, which I like. Not all of it is clean so be careful on that!

Overall, I thought the book was well-written. The descriptions were great, the storyline flowed smoothly, and the whole premise is fascinating. We’re talking telepathy and using ‘the force’! Star Wars fans may like that. Pretty fancy! The novel takes place in and around Washington, D.C., which is a city I’ve come to really love, so that was another plus.

This was a novel I really enjoyed. For all the reasons above, I have rated it five stars. Though this is the first book I’ve read from Jason Brant, it probably won’t be the last. A job well done, Mr. Brant!

How about another thriller? I’ve been doing a lot of those lately, haven’t I. All for good reasons, as I’ve shared before. This one, however, isn’t quite a thriller. It’s more a suspense. There’s also a romantic element to it, which sweetens it up a bit. Would you like to know more about this book? Let me share!

Not What She Seems

By: Victorine E. Lieske

Steven Ashton, a billionaire from New York, and Emily Grant, on the run from the law…and when they meet he can’t help falling for her. What he doesn’t know is that interfering in her life will put his own life in danger.

When billionaire Steven Ashton couldn’t stand his high society social life anymore, he left the stress of New York on a vacation for his soul. The need to meet real down to earth people led him to a small Nebraska town. He didn’t want to lie about who he was, but he couldn’t exactly tell them the truth.

Emily could have easily fallen in love with Steven, under different circumstances, but her past was catching up with her and she needed a new life. If the authorities found out about her, she could lose the one thing that meant everything, her four year old son.

I have read other books by Victorine E. Lieske before. I figured this one would be a good one to try. After all, she’s great with her romance novels! So how does she do with suspense? Let’s find out. I’ll first share what I liked.

Not What She Seems is very well-written. I thought the storyline was enjoyable and easy to follow. I love that it’s a clean novel. Many books in this genre tend to be even just a slightly bit dirty. This one wasn’t whatsoever. So that’s a huge plus. Especially for those younger people who like to read suspense. Another huge plus was that you never find out the culprit until the very end. I have to admit that it wasn’t someone I had suspected so kudos to Victorine for keeping it a mystery!

Was there anything I didn’t like? There were a couple of things. The first was that toward the end, I had to reread some parts just to make sure I was following right. Overall, the book is very easy to follow and makes tons of sense. There was just a few parts at the end where I had to recheck. Another downfall is that much of the story was predictable. Not so much the biggest part of the book, but much of the rest was. Lastly, I wasn’t feeling the romance aspect of the story at all. It was cute, but didn’t do anything for me.

All in all, I rated this four stars! If you go to the Amazon page for this novel, which I have the link just below, you’ll see that it has tons of reviews all in favor of this story. It’s also a New York Times Bestseller so that says something, right? Okay. Now that I said my piece, go check it out!

I’m in the process of writing my first thriller novel, which I’m totally excited about. To do so, I want to prepare myself the best way possible. How do I do that? By reading thriller novels, of course! My sister recommended one, and upon reading the book’s blurb, I was hooked, and wanted to get my hands on a copy pronto. Thank goodness for libraries! (I say that because a book by a best-selling author costs more than I’m willing to spend right now.)

Let me first share with you a little bit about the book, including the cover and blurb, and then I’ll go into what my thoughts are.

Velocity

By Dean Koontz

If you don’t take this note to the police . . . I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. . . . If you do . . . I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours.

The typewritten note under his windshield seems like just a sick joke. But in less than twenty-four hours, Billy Wiles, an ordinary, hardworking guy, is about to see his life take on the speed of a nightmare. Because a young blond schoolteacher is murdered—and now Billy has another note. And another deadline. This time he knows it’s no joke. He’s racing a killer faster than evil itself. And Billy must accept his terrifying challenge: The choice is yours.

Think fast. Fear never slows down. . . .

Sound goods, right? It did to me! And after reading it, I thought that it was amazing. That’s why I rated it four stars! Let me elaborate.

Dean Koontz did a wonderful job describing the story. There was never a dull moment. I thought it all came together rather nicely. Throughout, I was left wondering who could be the culprit. I also think that the whole premise is crazy! With these hard choices, there’s no way I could make a decision. What a creative thinker Mr. Koontz is. I applaud him for that.

If I liked it so much, why just four stars? Why not a perfect five? There are three reasons why I took this book off from the perfect throne:

Some descriptions were too many, in my opinion. I thought there was information we just didn’t need.

I felt the ending was too easy. Once we figure out things and the victim works his way to victory, it all just goes too quickly. There was barely a fight.

I also didn’t like how the character was too “at ease” with everything. There is no way a person, going through what this character did, would handle it the way he did.

But overall, I liked the book. I’m glad my sister recommended it. I would recommend it as well. To warn you, though, it isn’t clean. But that shouldn’t really come as a surprise, seeing as it’s Dean Koontz and all.

Here is the link to the book’s Amazon page for you to check it out some more:

This book is a thriller you won’t want to miss out on! The author did an amazing job, and I would definitely recommend. Let me share more with you…

Serial killer or avenging angel?

Lucy tracks down killers to deliver vigilante justice. But a missing child will pull her into a case that’s darker and more complicated than anything she’s ever faced.

Lucy quickly discovers the link to a predator she’s faced before–a man the state of Pennsylvania decided to turn loose on the streets. Determined to find the little girl and put a criminal behind bars for good, Lucy forces her way onto the case.

As the search pulls Lucy into a web of evil beyond her darkest imagination, she’ll have to face her own dark truths to save the little girl–and herself.

Not only did the premise of the story sound good, but boy did the author deliver big time. From page one until the very end, Stacy Green kept me on my toes, trying to figure out who is the culprit behind the missing child case. Just when I thought I knew who it was, I was quickly proven wrong. It’s not until the final chapter that the real answer is given. I love it when a story can do that!

There are a lot of positives to this book. First being that it’s FREE! Other positives include that it’s well-written, characters are well-developed, there’s never a dull moment, it’s hard to put down, and the fact that Stacy Green incorporated all the characters so well that anyone (and I mean anyone!) could be the ‘bad guy’. All of this together means that I gave it 5 stars!! I highly recommend!

Two things to note, however. It’s not a clean novel due to occasional language. Also, it does deal with a tough subject so it’s not for the faint of heart. If these things don’t bother you then please get your copy now! You can do so here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MUZMDYY

One more thing before I go. This novel brought up an interesting question for me. I’d like to know what you think. If someone kills the ‘bad guys’, do you think that makes them good? Or are they evil themselves because they’re killing?

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